A HARD PLACE

This video work uses a mirror image from the 11th of July Loyalist bonfires in Belfast which celebrates the defeat of James I at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. This lingering gaze of fire becomes invested with a more sinister almost diabolical presence as flames merge to create fleeting demonic images. The reconstruction of history and identity are forged through the transformative force of violence that the martyr figure can symbolise for war torn communities. This approach explores the archetype of the martyr whose purity of belief is signified through their ultimate use of the body as a weapon.